Erstlaub
28-09-2009, 07:17 PM
I'm going to post this here seeing as it was "technically" a doors open day although there appeared to be zero representation from any official bodies and very few areas open or explained, ah well. Mods, please feel free to move it to the Military subforum if you prefer.
There's loads already been written about this place really and a pretty comprehensive subrit report (http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/c/cultybraggan/) from 2000. There are over 100 Nissan huts which were used as a Black Camp where they held Hess and other high ranking Germans towards the end of WW2, it was then used as a training camp (my Dad did a stint there in the late 60s with his school cadet corp). Later a 2 level RGHQ Nuclear Bunker was built on site, finished in 1990 just as the Cold War was grinding to a slow crawl.
Anyway, beautiful day, up nice and early and a pleasant drive singing along to some Kraftwerk, I pulled up at the main gate just before 9.30 and parked up. One of the gates was swinging open (the land is now owned by the nearby village of Comrie after a buyout and a few of them were tending their allotments) so I strolled in and started wandering around the huts, trying to get a feel for the place.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3956481251_3c63074b50_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/3957061086_3c5a2e78cd.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/3955998843_a18a33b847.jpg
Heading towards the far end of the camp, and the bunker, I spotted a workman getting some tools from his van, he shouted me over and asked i I wanted to come down into the bunker to take some photos. I just about fell over given that workies usually tend to chase you away from stuff they are working on. He led me in and gave me a quick tour of the top level, told me that most of the lights were active so just to feel around for switches and that he'd leave me to it and just to head down to the next level when I wanted.
The bunker itself is very damp and mostly stripped but there are a few remnants about.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/3956882464_f77333b39f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3956146041_e8201538ec.jpg
It took me until I got home and processed to work out that that photo was the reverse angle from where I'd shot, shame, it'd have been nice to have got the same pic.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3956054863_3dc47e1c17.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3956867312_886432201e.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3956151751_59813505b7.jpg
Poked around for a while just in awe of being in there then headed down to the next level.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3956156619_d4dbb70ce3.jpg
There is a lot of ventilation and generator gear along with the ghosts some comms and the stripped out but still acoustically treated BBC studio.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2579/3956939946_7570dc7a5a.jpg
Very wet and very dark decontamination showers (i think anyway)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/3956952676_8ed6aeff9f.jpg
BIIIIG Generator
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/3956177795_09bd313177.jpg
BIIIIG Aircon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/3956228741_f26131c8a5.jpg
Acoustic Panneling
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/3957003170_287c275942.jpg
Probably the moldiest chair I've ever seen.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/3956214249_919d2a1e35.jpg
A bit of the switchboard.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3956205235_7c5bc3381a.jpg
Strongroom with a massive, heavy safe door.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3957240370_503454591e_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3956238761_aa8d5dece6.jpg
A very wet kitchen with a freestanding old hob/cooker.
I spent a good few hours down there and on the way out had a quick squint in the darkened guard room at the main door where obviously all the keys lived along with the fire/security panel.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3956481057_721fa72fb8.jpg
I broke ground and thanked the workie wholeheartedly and shook his hand and told him that he'd totally made my day. I asked him if he was also working on the ROC post just incase he had access but he didn't know what it was and wasn't due to work there. I headed along for a look anyway and atop the bunker, I spotted who I guessed was Wolfism and shouted up to him. He came down and we headed over to the firmly locked ROC Post and had a rather nice chat standing in the baking September sun.
After a while we parted ways and he headed underground as I explored the remainder of the camp, looking out for anything that looked like there might be access. I managed to get into the NAAFI, the old cell block that had later been used as an armoury and what I suspect was probably the laundry at some point (or a storage facility for 8 of the bases ironing boards!).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3957264442_c38ba1e01e.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3956358319_d517f232ec.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3957131482_e1e17ebb74.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3956277473_a3beceb969.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/3956440757_e53d10e414.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/3957208182_589fbf21a9.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3956433693_4bc1e3b0cd.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/3956420455_71715d2d67.jpg
Finally I headed over to the bullet riddled, monstrous concrete livefire range.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3957151896_c52312f1ec.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3957169062_a8eccc67cc.jpg
On the way out, I couldn't resist giving this a spin.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3956449505_1474820325.jpg
It gave an overly pleasing ring and a load of bewildered looking people wandering around looking for some hint of some doors-open/heritage action looked around in mild excitement before going back to their own little explores.
Cracking day out, awesome workie action and really nice to meet Wolfism, just a shame the doors open part was so poorly, if atall, organised as it would have been nice to get more info on who was where when etc and maybe have a hut or two partially restored or something.
I had a really pic heavy day and ended up shooting something stupid like 350, 90 of which made it into my flickr set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/erstlaub/sets/72157622335550611/detail/).
Thanks for looking.
D
There's loads already been written about this place really and a pretty comprehensive subrit report (http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/c/cultybraggan/) from 2000. There are over 100 Nissan huts which were used as a Black Camp where they held Hess and other high ranking Germans towards the end of WW2, it was then used as a training camp (my Dad did a stint there in the late 60s with his school cadet corp). Later a 2 level RGHQ Nuclear Bunker was built on site, finished in 1990 just as the Cold War was grinding to a slow crawl.
Anyway, beautiful day, up nice and early and a pleasant drive singing along to some Kraftwerk, I pulled up at the main gate just before 9.30 and parked up. One of the gates was swinging open (the land is now owned by the nearby village of Comrie after a buyout and a few of them were tending their allotments) so I strolled in and started wandering around the huts, trying to get a feel for the place.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3956481251_3c63074b50_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/3957061086_3c5a2e78cd.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2674/3955998843_a18a33b847.jpg
Heading towards the far end of the camp, and the bunker, I spotted a workman getting some tools from his van, he shouted me over and asked i I wanted to come down into the bunker to take some photos. I just about fell over given that workies usually tend to chase you away from stuff they are working on. He led me in and gave me a quick tour of the top level, told me that most of the lights were active so just to feel around for switches and that he'd leave me to it and just to head down to the next level when I wanted.
The bunker itself is very damp and mostly stripped but there are a few remnants about.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/3956882464_f77333b39f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3956146041_e8201538ec.jpg
It took me until I got home and processed to work out that that photo was the reverse angle from where I'd shot, shame, it'd have been nice to have got the same pic.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3956054863_3dc47e1c17.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2462/3956867312_886432201e.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2544/3956151751_59813505b7.jpg
Poked around for a while just in awe of being in there then headed down to the next level.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3956156619_d4dbb70ce3.jpg
There is a lot of ventilation and generator gear along with the ghosts some comms and the stripped out but still acoustically treated BBC studio.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2579/3956939946_7570dc7a5a.jpg
Very wet and very dark decontamination showers (i think anyway)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/3956952676_8ed6aeff9f.jpg
BIIIIG Generator
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/3956177795_09bd313177.jpg
BIIIIG Aircon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3449/3956228741_f26131c8a5.jpg
Acoustic Panneling
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2484/3957003170_287c275942.jpg
Probably the moldiest chair I've ever seen.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2509/3956214249_919d2a1e35.jpg
A bit of the switchboard.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3956205235_7c5bc3381a.jpg
Strongroom with a massive, heavy safe door.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3957240370_503454591e_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3956238761_aa8d5dece6.jpg
A very wet kitchen with a freestanding old hob/cooker.
I spent a good few hours down there and on the way out had a quick squint in the darkened guard room at the main door where obviously all the keys lived along with the fire/security panel.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2463/3956481057_721fa72fb8.jpg
I broke ground and thanked the workie wholeheartedly and shook his hand and told him that he'd totally made my day. I asked him if he was also working on the ROC post just incase he had access but he didn't know what it was and wasn't due to work there. I headed along for a look anyway and atop the bunker, I spotted who I guessed was Wolfism and shouted up to him. He came down and we headed over to the firmly locked ROC Post and had a rather nice chat standing in the baking September sun.
After a while we parted ways and he headed underground as I explored the remainder of the camp, looking out for anything that looked like there might be access. I managed to get into the NAAFI, the old cell block that had later been used as an armoury and what I suspect was probably the laundry at some point (or a storage facility for 8 of the bases ironing boards!).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2450/3957264442_c38ba1e01e.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3956358319_d517f232ec.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3957131482_e1e17ebb74.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/3956277473_a3beceb969.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/3956440757_e53d10e414.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/3957208182_589fbf21a9.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3956433693_4bc1e3b0cd.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/3956420455_71715d2d67.jpg
Finally I headed over to the bullet riddled, monstrous concrete livefire range.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/3957151896_c52312f1ec.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3957169062_a8eccc67cc.jpg
On the way out, I couldn't resist giving this a spin.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3479/3956449505_1474820325.jpg
It gave an overly pleasing ring and a load of bewildered looking people wandering around looking for some hint of some doors-open/heritage action looked around in mild excitement before going back to their own little explores.
Cracking day out, awesome workie action and really nice to meet Wolfism, just a shame the doors open part was so poorly, if atall, organised as it would have been nice to get more info on who was where when etc and maybe have a hut or two partially restored or something.
I had a really pic heavy day and ended up shooting something stupid like 350, 90 of which made it into my flickr set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/erstlaub/sets/72157622335550611/detail/).
Thanks for looking.
D